Organisation profile

The Marine and Terrestrial Environments group blends fundamental and applied science including expertise in palaeoclimate, biogeochemistry and ecosystem change as well as science communication.

Research interests in the group range from local observations to global biogeochemical cycles. Examples include:

• sea-level change in the past and future
• the cycling of particle reactive elements in the ocean, as a means to reconstruct past changes in ocean circulation
• mechanisms of mineral nutrient cycling processes in the critical zone
• influences of chemical and physical weathering on landscape evolution and critical zone sustainability
• methane cycling in soil, lakes, peatlands, and groundwater
• organic carbon cycling in soil and the impact of landuse and climate change on carbon stocks
• global sources and sinks of carbon dioxide in the terrestrial and marine biosphere

Approaches involve a combination of observational, experimental and modelling techniques, as well as data assimilation methods.

A particular strength of the group is the range of time scales considered, which vary from 100 million year scales to the seasonal. This interaction of time scales captures the true diversity of climate and environmental change right up to and including human interaction with the environment.